Contents
What did the Olmec develop?
The Olmec created massive monuments, including colossal stone heads, thrones, stela (upright slabs), and statues. They may have been the originators of the Mesoamerican ball game, a ceremonial team sport played throughout the region for centuries.
Where did the Olmec develop?
Gulf of Mexico
The Olmecs lived in hot, humid lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in what is now southern Veracruz and Tabasco states in southern Mexico. The first evidence of their remarkable art style appears about 1200 bce in San Lorenzo, their oldest known building site.
What city did the Olmecs invent?
Here, the Olmec constructed permanent city-temple complexes at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Laguna de los Cerros. In this region, the first Mesoamerican civilization emerged and reigned from c. 1400–400 BCE.
What was the most important city in the Olmecs land?
Terms
- La Venta. The main city of the Olmec civilization.
- Mesoamerican ballgame. An ancient ritual sport that involved keeping a rubber ball in play in designated courts.
- Olmec colossal heads. Basalt sculptures of human faces wearing large helmeted headdresses that stand up to 3.4 meters high.
Why did the Olmecs decline?
The Olmec population declined sharply between 400 and 350 BCE, though it is unclear why. Archaeologists speculate that the depopulation was caused by environmental changes, specifically by the silting-up of rivers, which choked off the water supply.
What was the name of the first Olmec civilization?
As early as 1500 B.C. pre-Olmec relics were being created at San Lorenzo, where the Ojochí, Bajío, and Chichárras cultures would eventually develop into the Olmec. Two major Olmec cities are known to researchers: San Lorenzo and La Venta. These are not the names the Olmec knew them by: their original names have been lost to time.
What later cultures were influenced by the Olmec civilization?
The Olmec were farmers, warriors and traders, and the few clues they left behind indicate a rich culture. Their civilization collapsed by 400 A. D. – archaeologists are unsure as to why – but several later cultures, including the Aztec and the Maya, were profoundly influenced by the Olmec.
When did the Olmec civilization begin in Tabasco?
The beginnings of Olmec civilization have traditionally been placed between 1400 and 1200 BCE. Past finds of Olmec remains ritually deposited at El Manati shrine (near San Lorenzo) moved this back to “at least” 1600–1500 BCE. It seems that the Olmec had their roots in early farming cultures of Tabasco, which began between 5100 BCE and 4600 BCE.
What did the Olmec people do in Central America?
The Olmec were great traders who had contacts with other cultures from Central America to the Valley of Mexico. They traded away their finely made and polished celts, masks, figurines and small statues.